Mike Leach - RIP

MSU Bulldog family, college football community mourns the death of Coach Mike Leach - Mississippi State (hailstate.com)

 

I liked Leach.

This was such a moment of moments:

Really seemed like Leach would coach at least one national champion.

He was definitely the national champion of soundbites.

Now he's off to romp around with all those fat little girlfriends in the great beyond.

 

Acerbic and not hesitant to blame his kids when things went wrong. And at the same time irresistible to listen to. A world traveler and endlessly curious about things that went beyond the yard markers. It’s a little amazing he was ever at OU in any capacity because he seemed naturally drawn to the places with thin soil and shaky prospects in college football terms. If you can find something to love in Lubbock, Pullman AND Starkville, you are cut from different cloth.

 

I agree that Leach did coach at Oklahoma was a miracle. I also don't think Leach particularly loved Lubbock, Pullman ir Starkville, But Leach never cut from a different mold and I also think he never cared about the public relations part of coaching at a Power Five school. For example, I don't think he played a lot of golf with contributors or generally kissed a lot of butts. I think that is why he never landed an elite job, especially after his departure from Texas Tech was so contentious.

However, he will be remembered as a guy with a tremendous impact on the game with his offenses. Not just at the college level but also at the high school level. A lot of high schools run variations of the Air Raid.

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In 1989, he served as head coach of the Pori Bears in the American Football Association of Finland.

Because of course he did.

 

Someone punch smug little Craig James in the nuts today, please.

RIP to the candy corn-hating pirate.

 

“Absolutely.” - Emmitt Smith

 

One of the reasons why ... with a few places I've been and if I ever got back into it ... I'd like to go to Martinsville for a few years (but only if Ginny Wray offers the gig).

 

As someone who spent a couple of days in Martinsville for a championship back in June, trust me, you don't. Incredibly depressing place.

 

As was pointed out on Reddit, he finished with a lifetime winning percentage of just over .596. College Football HOF requires a minimum .600 win percentage.

 

I'm just imagining how much fun he would have been if he had actually used that law degree.

I know he's polarizing to many, but his positives outweighed the negatives in my book. I'm also positive the media will miss him.

Also, keep in mind that during the span of his career, Air Raid went from a gadget/gimmick offense to something, at worst, approaching the mainstream. Must have contributed something to the game.

RIP, good sir and Thank You.